The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-11-25
TARIFF AND PROSPERITY.

TARIFF AND PROSPERITY.
Brief Review OF the Development and
Growth OF the Wooden Industry.
The writer considers it an opportune
time. when the country is flooded with
free-tradc resolutions. for a revenue
tariff and for free raw material. to call
the attention of your readers to COM
pilation Of industrial and statistical
figures. with a few facts CLEANED from
the Golden Fleece, and review the de-
velopment Of the growth of wool and
the wooden industry of this country.
Up to 1860 the colonists exchanged
such raw material as the country then
produced with England and the Dutch
for such necessities as they required.
That year a law was passed by England
prohibiting the colonists from trading
with other nations from which they
could buy goods cheaper than those
made in England. Then the colonists
determined to manufacture for them
selves. but this was promptly sup
pressed. and law passed in Virginia
in 1854 to encourage textile manufact-
uring was promptly annulled by Par
lament. and any interc hange of goods
between the colonies forbidden by law.
The object of England was the same
then rs nOw-tO make tins a CONSUME
ing country, and to compel the people
here to depend on England for their
clothing and all other manufactured
articles. The result was, that the col
onies did not export enough TO pay for
what they bought of England.
In I765 society was formed in New
York to encourage the home manu-
facture of wOolens. The members
signed a pledge not to buy imported
cloth and not to eat the meat of sheep
Or lamb. The killing of sheep was dis
Outraged. The great want of the
country was supply of wool. Gree
raw-material advocates please note).
Homespun cloth soon became the rage
up to and after the revolution, and
Washington. when he was inaugurated
Us President, wore suit of home made
brown. ct was not English, you
know.") In 1871 Alexander Hamil-
ton said that manufacturing industries
afforded encouraging assurances of
success, and all that was required was
an adequate quantity of material to
render the supply of goods equal to the
demand, and that tho Government
should adopt measures to encourage
the growth of wool. After the declara-
ton of peace, as there was no capital
in this country to build factories. all
kinds of goods flooded the country
froIh England. against which there
was then no power in Congress to
afford shield of protection. In 1874.
when Congress was equipped with
power, it levied duty of u per cent.
on wooden cloths. (rhis was for rev.
enue only.) In 1909 the duty was in
creased to 30 per cent, which set the
looms in motion. and Madison wore a
suit of black brOadclOth of American
make and made from. homegrown
wool at his Inauguration in 1909. and
he strongly advocated protection to
our manufacturers rs es sential to the
prosperity and strength of the re-
public.
The war of 1912 gave additional inn
pulse to the industry. In 1910. the
value of all cloth manufactured by
the loom and at home was estimated
Mt S25, COS, 7SS. From 1916 to 1882, all
classes of manufacturing increased.
and. in 1882, the duties on all WOODEN
goods was increased to so per cent,
and few years of great prosperity
ensued. In 1886, there was strong
tariff agitation, and Congress lowered
the tariff to 90 per cent, which
brought on commercial depression
and financial disaster. which lasted
till 1912 (this was another tariff for
revenue). when the tariff was again
advanced to 40 per cent. This impart-
ed new vigor to both wool growing
and manufacturing, and the building
of factories was again commenced.
and increased till 1850. when there
was then in operation 1859 factories,
as against % in 1910, employing 3d.
252 operatives, and producing si3.-
2O7.545 worth of goods. Business
continued prosperous up to 1916, when
the duties were again lowered trifle.
which checked the building of factO-
RIGS. The industry continued moder-
ately active up to 1857. when we had
another tariff agitation. and Congress
reduced the tariff one-half. (Another
tariff for revenue.) Then followed
the panic of 1857, when foreign COM
petition forced most of the factories
to close and discharge their help. At
a most serious loss, large number
of the mills were sold at sheriff sale.
During the period from 1910 to 1860.
wool had not increased in its growth
with the rapid erection of the WOODEN
factories, as it had received but
little or no protection, and. in 1860,
the production was only about
so. OOO.C coo pounds. It was evident
that something must be done to stimu-
late its growth in order to keep pace
with the demand. Our wool was
greatly improved in quality by the in
PRODUCTION of the Saxony and merino
breeds. The best cloth wool was made
from it rs early as 1857, and the finest
wool at the London exhibition that
year was from the State Of Tennessee.
March IL, 1860, the Morrill, tariff bill
was introduced in Congress. and was
enacted March 2, 1861-not as a war
measure. but for protection. The